Iconic CNN anchor Bernard Shaw dead at 82
Shaw famously reported from Baghdad with groundbreaking coverage of Operation Desert Storm
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Journalism legend Bernard Shaw died on Wednesday at age 82, the longtime CNN anchor’s family announced.
Shaw, considered a journalism icon, became a household name with groundbreaking coverage of Operation Desert Storm from Iraq in 1991 when round-the-clock reporting from a war zone was unprecedented. He famously reported from a Baghdad hotel room as bombs exploded outside his window, putting CNN on the map in the process.
"CNN’s beloved anchor and colleagues, Bernard Shaw, passed away yesterday at the age of 82. Bernie was a CNN original and was our Washington Anchor when we launched on June 1, 1980. He was our lead anchor for the next twenty years from anchoring coverage of presidential elections to his iconic coverage of the First Gulf War live from Baghdad in 1991," CNN CEO Chris Licht said in a statement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bernard Shaw, a CNN chief anchor for 20 years, passed away at the age of 82 on September 8, 2022 ((Erik S. Lesser / Liaison via Getty Images)
"Even after he left CNN, Bernie remained a close member of our CNN family providing our viewers with context about historic events as recently as last year," Licht continued. "The condolences of all of us at CNN go out to his wife Linda and his children."
Shaw died of pneumonia, according to CNN.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Bernard Shaw Scholarship Fund at the University of Chicago. The Shaw family requests complete privacy at this time," the family said in a statement, according to CNN.
The award-winning Shaw also covered major news events including the student revolt in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, the 1994 Los Angeles earthquake, the funeral of Princess Diana in 1997 and then-President Clinton's impeachment trial.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN founder Ted Turner (center/right) stands with anchors Larry King (L), Judy Woodruff and Bernard Shaw (R) after receiving an award at a CNN 20th anniversary gala event at Philips Arena in Atlanta on June 1. (Tami Chappell/Reuters)
In addition to his legendary work in the field, Shaw hosted the daily "Inside Politics" with Judy Woodruff and "CNN World View," which was the network’s evening newscast. He also hosted "CNN & Time," a newsmagazine-style program.
When moderating a 1998 presidential debate between George Bush and Michael Dukakis, Shaw famously asked Dukakis if he would change his mind about opposing the death penalty if his own wife was raped and murdered. Dukakis said there were "better and more effective" ways to deal with violent crime, and said he wouldn't want his wife's killer put to death. Pundits considered this a pivotal moment in American politics, as Dukakis’ response didn’t sit well with many Americans and sparked backlash.
Shaw worked at both CBS and ABC before joining CNN. When he left CNN in 2000, Shaw insisted he was not retiring, but simply "stepping back" to spend more time with family.
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"Some roses are so fragrant. And as a gardener, I want to grow and smell them more when I'm not writing," he said at the time.
During Shaw’s career, he won just about every award given out to journalists including multiple Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and the National Association of Black Journalists’ Journalist of the Year Award.
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Fox News' Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.